


Fight for you

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 20:03:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: When someone hurts his wife, there is nothing he won't do to help her





	Fight for you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!  
This is based on a request I got, for a protective husband Ethan, jumping into action when he hears insults about his wife. Fluff and comfort all around :D  
Enjoy! <3

People in the hospital have always spoken well about Ethan. Be it either with respect for his knowledge and his work, or with a lovesick undertone, talking about his good looks.

Overall he was rather reserved, keeping his distance. Always a little to harsh for the interns, his demeanor didn’t change even when he was talking to his long-time colleagues. Everyone just assumed that that was the type of person he was, definitely not shy, he was beaming with confidence most of the time, but he was seen as a person that would rather avoid other people when he could.

When Claire walked into his life, he started to change. He saw it himself, didn’t know what it was about her, but it made him want to open up, be honest with her. His face would light up when she walked in the room. 

Their relationship had a rocky start. They begun dating back when she still was an intern and she was still a part of competition. They tried, really tried to stay away from each other. But it only made them want each other more. He was running to her more and more, to kiss her, to take her home with him or simply just so he could lay his head on her stomach and vent, then listen to her sing to him softly.

Then, Harper found out about them. She was not pleased to say the least. She threatened them both with revealing it to everyone, ruining their careers for good. It destroyed Claire’s heart when she broke things off with Ethan.

He was crying. For the first time since his childhood he cried. Begged her not to leave him alone. She cried too. For the love that could never be.

They spent the next month apart, avoiding each other, knowing it would hurt them to see each other and not be able to fall into each other’s arms. They both died inside everyday but they knew it was for the better.

When the day of the final results came, Ethan didn’t know what to expect. He stopped paying attention to other’s rankings, so he really had no idea who would be first.

He was shocked to see her name next to a number 1 on the list, but he was not surprised. She deserved it, she was brilliant, spectacular… he knew those things.

He watched for afar as she cheered with her friends, hugging them and talking. He decided to walk up to her and congratulate her, even though he knew it was their first conversation since their breakup. He stood next to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Claire…. Clarissa… congratulations. I always knew you could do it. You’re not an intern anymore.” He spoke softly, squeezing her shoulder. Her eyes met his, warmth emitting from them.

“Ethan…” she whispered, biting her lips, her gaze softening.

He knew when he was walking up to her that it would be hard to control himself. He fought. He swore he would. But around her all of his resolve just… disappeared.

“Claire…” he breathed out the words, barely audible but she heard him. And she understood.

She stood up on her tiptoes just as he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips met in a passionate lock, their arms wounding around one another, holding each other close, much closer than they probably should given the time and place they were in but neither of them seemed to care. What mattered was that they were together.

\-----------

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers, his eyes close, breathing in her scent. She smiled, a small laugh escaping her lips. They were oblivious to many shocked looks they were getting, from both internes and older doctors. Harper couldn’t say she was surprised. She was debating in her head whether she should do something about it, ultimately deciding against it, she was glad that Ethan has finally found someone who could break down his barriers.

They stepped away from each other, hands intertwined. Big smiles on their faces said it all. They loved one another and not even time apart or distance could keep them from their feelings.

Her friends came up to them, shock evident on their faces. Sienna approached them and hugged her best friend while the rest just smiled.

“I’m so happy you two finally got together!” Sienna squealed, excited for the couple.

“Wha… How did you know?” Claire asked, disbelief on her face. Ethan had a small thrown upon his features, mixed with amusement and shock.

“Oh, come on. You two would always look at each other when you thought no one was looking. We saw that in your eyes. Dr. Ramsey… no offence, sir, but you look like a lovesick puppy when Claire is in the same room. And Claire… your eyes shine, you smile brighter” Sienna said, the rest of the interns nodding their heads in agreement.

“We were really that obvious?” Ethan mused, looking at the woman beside him, his arm still around her.

“Yes. We were wondering when you two would finally have the guts to get together.” Elijah laughed, the others joining him.

That was almost a year ago. Since then a couple of things changed.

She started working with him, the diagnostic team took her in with excitement, making her feel welcome. Meanwhile they were both trying to solve the mystery of Naveen’s sickness.

Then, after three months of nonstop work, they managed to find the cause of his condition. They immediately began treating it, bringing Ethan’s mentor back his health. The old man was now enjoying the pleasures of a work-free life, the pair meeting with him once every two weeks for dinner.

Five months after their relationship really began, he offered her to move in with him. He helped her pack her stuff and move them to their shared space, making her feel at home with him and Jenner.

That dog fell in love with his woman the moment he saw her. He adored her and she adored him, both of them spending quite a lot of time together.

He could very clearly remember the moment he realized she was the one for him. They were having dinner with Naveen, food already gone from their plates. He went to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine. Coming back he stopped for a second to take a look at the pair of people at the table.

Claire was talking to Naveen about their latest case, the old man listening with a smile on his face. He told Ethan how impressed he was with her compassion for people and intelligence, her ability to listen to what others are saying, the want to get to know them, all the things Ethan himself picked up on ever since the first day he knew her.

He loved her. That much he knew. He told her that in a heated moment of passion, his voice out of breath. She smiled, the biggest and brightest smile he has ever seen as she said it back. She is his best friend, biggest support. She can and _wants_ to listen to him, she cares what his opinions are, what he thinks about, what is happening to him. He just cannot and doesn’t want to live without her.

So he proposed. He organized them both a quiet evening at home, he cooked dinner, they ate and talked. Then, he got down on one knee and said the words. Words of love, comfort, belief in one another. She fell to her knees, grabbed his face and kissed him, hard, pulling him to her. He laughed as he asked for her answer and she said yes.

Their wedding was beautiful. He got to meet her family, her parents were amazing people and they seemed to like him. Her brother is a good man, he enjoys talking to him. Naveen got to attend as well, Ethan’s family showed up too, despite him being sure they wouldn’t. They adored their new addition to the family from the start.

When he saw her in her dress, his heart stopped. He was mesmerized, her gown hugging her in all the right places, white and gorgeous. Her hair pinned up in an elegant manner, her makeup delicate. He wanted nothing more than to run to her, scoop her up in his arms and kiss her until they were both out of breath, take her away somewhere private and worship her but he knew better and decided against it.

The ceremony was beautiful. True to his words, when it was time for him to kiss the love of his life, he took her in his arms firmly, dipping her low and kissing her, her fingers tangling in his hair. The audience exploded with cheering and clapping but they didn’t seem to notice it. You could hear someone whistle at them, people laughing.

Finally, they separated but Ethan didn’t place her back on her feet yet. His arms still securely around her, their foreheads touching, he whispered to her breathlessly:

“I love you, Mrs. Ramsey.” They both smiled at her new title.

“I love you too, husband.” She looked into his eyes, full of light, a flirty sparkle in them.

He put her back on her feet, his arms not letting her go. They went to their reception, their first dance on their minds.

Ethan took her gently by her hand, placing his arm around her and burying his face in her hair, his mouth on her neck.

“How long are we supposed to be here for?” he asked quietly, his lips moving to her ear. he felt her shudder at the sound of his voice.

“We literally just got here. What, you don’t want to be seen with me?” she joked, her arms around his neck at this point, her lips on his ear too.

“You know I want to show you off to everyone, Love. But what I want to do more is just take you home and begin our honeymoon early, make sure everyone knows your new name.” He bit her earlobe lightly, a low grumble escaping his throat, his grip on her tightening. He heard a quiet moan straight in his ear.

It was going to be a long day.

\----------

Everyone could see they were a happy couple, they didn’t show too much affection at work, but they didn’t shy away from it either. There was no need to hide, they were married, everyone knew it.

Ethan became happier at work. He smiled more, was generally less grumpy towards his coworkers, although interns still annoyed the hell out of him.

The new batch of interns arrived at Edenbrook two months ago. There were a few promising ones. They seemed to know what they came for.

Interns that knew that they were married tended to not react when they did display some affection towards each other. There were a few which didn’t know they were together but they were quickly updated, one way or another. And there were a lot of situations in which they could obtain that knowledge.

Ethan was walking down the hall, files in his hand. That day was a disaster, his patients were rude, interns kept on bugging him and he didn’t have time to get coffee nor see his wife. He noticed a few interns standing by the wall of the hall, talking.

“Hi, dr. Ramsey!” one of the female interns said. He was not in the mood to get involved in any kind of conversation with them, so he chose to ignore them. He heard their voices but paid them no attention.

Then, he suddenly felt his files being ripped out of his hand and before he knew what was happening, Claire ran past him in the direction of his office, her laugh loud and teasing.

“Oh, she’s in so much trouble. Who is she even? Does she have a death wish?” he heard interns gush behind his back but he didn’t have time to tell them off.

He started running, trying to catch up to her, a smile appearing on his face.

“Ramsey! Ramsey, get back here, now!” he shouted, laughing. Nurses that passed him smiled at his lovestruck state. He couldn’t see the priceless faces of interns when they realized that the woman was actually his wife, shock and amazement painted all over their features.

Their internship was going smoothly, not without sacrifices and losses, but they were coping. Around a two months mark something weird begun happening. And not necessarily with interns.

It was his wife.

She was closed off. She begun pushing him away. When he asked her what was going on, she either avoided the subject by cutting the conversation loose or by distracting him. And she did have her ways to do just that, her hold over him not lessening over time.

She seemed insecure at work. When he asked her about something regarding the case they were doing at the moment she couldn’t form her words.

He knew something was happening. He just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Then, one day, he was walking down the hall, his eyes in the file he was holding when he passed a room. The door were open and he could hear the conversation the interns sitting inside were having.

“… and dr. Ramsey.” At that he stopped. He stood outside, his arms folded and pressed against the wall.

“dr. Ramsey? Please, she’s nothing more than a gold digger and an opportunist. Have you heard how she got on the diagnostic team? They had a competition and Ramsey was choosing who would win.”

“I heard she started sleeping with him to win and then she got pregnant and that’s why they are together.”

“I’m sure she’s not that great of a doctor, how much could she know? I bet I am a better doctor than she could ever be.” A young man said. Ethan had no idea what his name was but to be honest, he didn’t really care.

He felt his blood boil. Never before in his whole life has he heard such bullshit. He began wondering where did they get those idiotic ideas from and why do they have so much free time that they were able to come up with something like this. Then it hit him like a lightning.

Was that why Claire was so closed off? Has she heard what they were talking about her and took it to heart? He knew she already headed home for the day. He sprinted to his office, changed and grabbed his stuff and sprinted towards his car.

He entered their apartment, looking around frantically for his wife. He found her on the couch, cup of tea in hand, a book on her lap, covered with a blanket. He set his stuff with a clank on the table and went to stand next to her. He fell to his knees. The sudden movement made her look at him.

His face broke her heart. He looked lost, helplessness in his eyes, tears threatening to fall from his beautiful eyes. She put away her tea and book and took his face in her hands.

“Hey. What happened? What’s wrong?” she asked softy, her thumbs smoothing over his cheeks. He snuggled his face in her small hands.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice breaking.

“Tell you what?” she knew exactly what he was talking about but she hoped she was wrong.

“Why didn’t you tell me they were saying such horrible and false things about you? We are supposed to tell each other everything.” He touched her hands with his, their eyes meeting.

“I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t want you to think you have to protect me, I should be able to do that on my own.” Her voice was quiet, her head low, looking at the pattern on the blanket.

“I want to protect you. It’s my job as your husband to protect you. And by now you should know I take my job very seriously.” He smiled, lifting her chin to make her look at him. The corners of her lips turned up a little.

“I know you do… but…”

“No “but”. I am putting an end to all of those nonsense rumors and accusations. I will not let them berate my wife just because they cannot do their job properly.” He had a stern look on his face. She leaned forward to kiss him, her hands never leaving his face.

“Thank you. I really wanted to tell you but I was… embarrassed.”

“By what?”

“Have you heard what they were saying? They weren’t just accusing me of cheating my way into the diagnostic team. They were accusing you of being bias just because we’re…”

“In love? Seriously? Why would I be mad or embarrassed at someone saying that I love my wife? Because that’s what it is, darling. I love you. I’m proud that I can say that I love you. I love your brain, I love your ability to stand up to me when you see I go too far, I love how your body is made to match mine perfectly…” he pulled her closer at that, a laugh escaping her lips. “Let me handle it. I will talk to them tomorrow and put a stop to all of this nonsense.” He kissed the top of her head and picked her up.

“Where are we going?” she asked, an amused smile on her face.

“To the bedroom. I don’t know about you, but I am pretty tired and could use a couple of hours of sleep with my ear on your heart.” He placed her gently on their bed.

“Brilliant idea, Mr. Ramsey.”

“You spark my genius, Mrs. Ramsey” he winked at her before they both got ready for bed and went to sleep, entangled in each other, falling asleep peacefully.

\---------

The next day, after they had their morning cut short (much to their disappointment) they arrived at the hospital and begun their work. He sent her off with a kiss, not a peck on the cheek or her lips but a full-blown kiss, his arms around her, keeping her close.

“I love you, Mrs. Ramsey. Have a good day, honey.” He pecked her lips one last time before letting her go.

“I love you to, Ethan. Now go, before someone says we are lazy and don’t work.”

“I am doing something.” He said, a playful tone in his voice.

“Oh really? What?” she laughed, looking at her husband curiously.

“You.” and with that he turned away and went towards his first patient. She blushed. And nurses and other doctors stopped what they were doing, stunned at the boldness of the normally reserved doctor. A group of interns was standing on the side, looking at the whole situation. Claire went her way, not paying any attention to anyone.

Ethan walked into the cafeteria and spotted Claire sitting at the table with Harper, Ines and Zaid, all of them in deep conversation. He took his food and sat down next to his wife, kissing her cheek softly as a form of greetings. He joined the conversation, his right hand taking her left underneath the table.

Interns were sitting by the table next to theirs. They could hear their conversation very clearly.

“She’s faking it so hard it hurts to look. Honestly…” they didn’t have the opportunity to finish their sentence. Ethan stood up abruptly from his seat and turned towards them. The whole cafeteria fell silent.

“Would you like to say it louder? I don’t think everyone heard you clearly enough.” They were looking at their plates, clearly avoiding eye contact with him. “What? You don’t want the whole staff how you think dr. Ramsey is a gold digger, how she doesn’t know how to do her job, how she cheated her way into the diagnostic team? What? You don’t have the guts to tell it to her face so you choose to do it behind her back?”

“We…” one of them started, but Ethan was on the roll.

“Do you have any respect for me?” he asked. The interns were stunned.

“Of course we do, dr. Ramsey.”

“Then why would you not respect my wife? I chose to marry her and thank god she chose me too. Remember who you are talking about here. She’s the single most important person here in my eyes, so if I were you, I’d be careful with what I say about her.” With that he stormed off, not looking behind.

The cafeteria was silent. No one dared to say anything. Everybody was shocked. Ethan Ramsey was the most reserved person in there. And yet, when someone attacked his wife, he completely lost it.

Claire stood up and ran after him. He was in his office, fuming and pacing back and forth.

“Hey… it’s okay, deep breaths, yeah?” she touched his shoulder gently. He looked at her and instantly relaxed.

“You think it will keep them in line?” he asked with a smile on his face.

“Oh, I think they will never speak to either of us. You scared them. Almost to death. I think we’re in the clear.”

“Good. How much time do you have left before your break is over?” he sneaked his arms around her.

“Thirty minutes… why?”

“Oh, no reason. “a teasing smile appeared on his face as he spun them around and pressed her against the wall, kissing her hard, making the most of their time together.

In the end, Claire was right. The interns stopped talking. What is more, the next day, there they were, when Ethan and Claire arrived at the hospital, with a bouquet of flowers and a huge apology.

Everyone knew not to mess with a doctor in love.


End file.
